World History II Blog

1) In what ways did the Industrial Revolution mark a sharp break with the past? In what ways did it continue earlier patterns? There were news jobs and respect for women, a larger middle class, industry, new socialist ideas, hierarchies, belief that things could be improved. There was access to huge new sources of energy which gave rise to an increased output of goods and services. There were new signs of technological creativity that appeared in the 18th century.  There was continued population growth, patriarchy, social inequality 2) In what respects did the roots of the Industrial Revolution lie within Europe? In what ways did that transformation have global roots? The Industrial Revolution lies in Europe because of the relatively rapid spread of industrial techniques to many parts of the world. European states and small groups of merchants favored innovation.  By the 18th century, there were major Western European societies that were highly commercial...

Echoes of Revolution Beyond the Echoes of the Atlantic Revolution, three major movements arose to challenge continuing patterns of operation or exclusion. Abolitionists sought the end of slavery, nationalists hoped to foster unity and independence from foreign rule, and feminists challenged male dominance.  The Abolition of Slavery  Enlightenment thinkers in Europe had become increasingly critical of slavery as a violation of the natural rights of every person. The actions of slaves accelerated the end of slavery. The Haitian Revolution was followed by three major rebellions in the British West.  The Great Jamaica Revolt of 1831-1832 was important because it caused the abolishment of slavery in Britain. Secular, religious, economic, and political ways of thinking came together in abolitionist movements and brought pressure on governments to close down trade in slaves and then to ban slavery itself.  In 1807, Britain forbade the sale of slaves wit...

Part Five: The European Moment in World History & Chapter 16 During the “long nineteenth century” which was from 1750 to 1914 there were two major themes that held the center stage of global history. The first being a new kind of humankind known as “modern”. This emerged from the Scientific, French, and Industrial Revolutions. This human society, guided human behavior, women could now be equal to men and slavery was no longer necessary. The second theme was the growing ability of these modern societies to exercise enormous power and influence over the rest of humankind. Together, these two pushed forward Western Europe and even North America. Scholars and scientists argue that humankind has now entered a new era which they call the Anthropocene or the “age of man”. Europeans had the ability to rewrite geography and history. Maps placed Europe at the center, while Asia was divided in half 

Nine Key Themes of Catholic Social Teaching:  The Dignity of every Person and Human  All humans are made in the image and likeness of God. This idea shows up in the Book of Genesis in the bible. Even humans who have committed horrible acts are worth a lot and have the greatest of human dignity. The Catholic church is against threats to human dignity, like abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment. Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, spoke out a lot about any attack on innocent life that is still an offense.  Equality is a very important aspect of the dignity of humans. The Catholic view of human rights is very different because it is grounded on a theological framework that God is the ultimate source of our rights. Catholic human rights theory is a particularly strong contribution to church social teaching.  Solidarity, Common Good, and Participation  A good counterbalance to the first theme helps prevent/control people that might want to rebel. ...

Francoise’s early life & education (1756-1781) Francoise Blin de Bourdon was raised by her grandparents since her childhood. Her family was very respected landowners with an aristocratic lineage. By taking the responsibilities seriously, her family earned the loyalty of villagers during the hardest years of the French Revolution. In the year that Francoise was born, 1756, there were already signs of the revolutionary war to come.  There were various attempts to reform the French taxation system, but they were all unsuccessful. Controller-General Etienne de Silhouette attempted in 1759 to introduce a tax on items used like jewelry and carriages, items that only wealthy had. For doing this de Silhouette found himself unemployed. Later, A.R.J Turgot replaced the traditional corvee with property tax, payable by all the owners of the property, but similarly to de Silhouette, Turgot was unemployed.  Francoise’s own father was an “enlightened” nobleman. He had a passion f...

Chapter 15 Cultural Transformations  In the modern era, there was the spread of Christianity to Asians, Africans, and Native Americans There was also the emergence of a modern scientific outlook, which sharply challenged Western Christianity even as it too acquired a global presence.  There were new empires and new patterns of commerce. The early modern era also witnessed novel cultural transformations that likewise connected distant people  Christianity was established solidly in the Americas and the Philippines far more modestly in Siberia, China, Japan, and India Science was a new and competing worldview, and for some, it became almost a new religion The Globalization of Christianity  Christianity was limited to Europe at the beginning of the early modern era.  In the year 1500, Christendom stretched from Spain and England in the west to Russia in the east, with small and surrounded by communities of various kinds in Egypt, Ethiopia, southern ...

Chapter 14: Economic Transportation  “The World Hunt”: Fur in Global Commerce  In the early modern era first joined silver textiles and spices as major items of global commerce. Their production had an important environmental impact as well as serious implications for the human societies that generated and consumed them  By the 1500 European population growth and agricultural expansion have sharply diminished the supply of fur-bearing animals such as beaver, rabbits, sable, marten, and deer Much of the early modern era witnessed a period of cooling temperatures and harsh winters, known as the Little Ice Age.  The cost of a good-quality beaver pelt quadrupled in France between 1558 and 1611.  The price increase translated into strong economic incentives for European traders to tap the immense wealth of fur-bearing animals found in North America. At the same time, the collapse of Native American populations in North America caused by the Gre...